Tag: Libya

Along with removing authoritarian governments, reform of security institutions was a primary goal of the Arab Spring. In the aftermath of regime change, it was evident in all countries that reform of the security sector was not just symbolically important; it was an essential requirement. Yet almost four years later there has been little progress. Why has it been so difficult for regional states to reform their security institutions?

Three years after the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime, Libya is fragmented into an alarming number of armed groups. France has called for action to be taken against what it calls the ‘terrorist threat on Europe’s doorstep.’ In light of a number of questionable post-9/11 interventions, the issue is whether military intervention is, in fact, the way to contain Libya’s instability, or whether it would only sink the country further into chaos.

The spectre of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria casts a long shadow. It’s clearly not just the Middle East that is in trouble; both Britain and the United States have been worried enough to dispatch fighter jets to try and contain the Islamist rebels. Analysts have warned that Africa is particularly vulnerable. The continent’s plethora of existing Islamist groups, coupled with its poor governance track record, make it a relatively ­­easy target.

Libya is entering a dangerous new phase in its post-liberation politics. Regional dynamics (among many other factors such as religion and ideology) have significantly contributed to the outbreak in violence. While a precise understanding of the current Libyan conflict remains obscured by rapidly unfolding events and a constantly shifting patchwork of alliances, it is clear that the next few months will be formative for the country’s future.

Several weeks ago at the US-Africa Leaders Summit, President Obama unveiled the Security Governance Initiative (SGI), a new program designed to address security sector governance and improve security capacity in six African countries. The SGI is the latest in a series of security assistance initiatives that the US has rolled out specifically targeting Africa in an effort to build the capacity of African states to become reliable security and counter-terrorism partners.

There are unmistakeable echoes between the recent establishment of ‘the Islamic State’ across northern Iraq and parts of Syria by the Islamist group that now calls itself by the same name. Both have taken advantage of weak or non-existent governance to assert their own sovereignty. While the Ansar al-Sharia may not have formally pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and the global caliphate it seeks to impose, it has done pretty much everything else.

Libya’s new government must contend with a rapidly deteriorating security situation – to the East, it faces armed Federalist militia groups that have already shown a strong inclination for blackmail. Along its periphery, Tripoli had shown little capacity to control its porous borders or militia groups involved in the cross-border illicit economy. In this blog post, the author discusses the serious problem of militias in Libya.

Libya is facing an ongoing governance crisis. The transitional government put in place after the NATO-assisted uprising against Colonel Muammar Gaddafi succeeded in conducting elections and putting together an electoral process for the constitution drafting committee. However, violence continues despite the free elections of July 2012.